What difference do three games make?
My thoughts on Mauricio Pochettino changed significantly after the Arsenal game, and I am here to discuss why.
I remember reading the comments and even taking a poll on my personal Substack website (well over 100) after Chelsea were completely embarrassed by Arsenal just four games ago. More than 80% of people want Pochettino to leave at least until the end of the season.
Now, just three games later, my site’s opinion has changed.
I ran the latest poll on my Substack site yesterday…
If Chelsea advances to the Europa League this season, 84% want Pochettino to stay.
78% want Pochettino to stay if Chelsea qualify for the Europa Conference League this season.
If Chelsea don’t get either, opinions will be a bit more divided. However, the majority (52%) would still want Pochettino to stay.
52% have a ‘firm stance’ on Pochettino, while 48% are uncertain or still waiting for the jury to decide on him.
The huge difference seen in just three games was truly ridiculous. I didn’t expect this. I do not share the change in position as I explained earlier this week. My opinion on anything, be it a player or a manager, will never change much after just three games (we didn’t win a single one of those games). My opinions will always be formed over much longer periods of time. My initial opinion of wanting Pochettino to leave has persisted for a long time, into the second half of this season, so my opinion of wanting him to stay again won’t change that quickly, even if he does. , I am willing to change again. It’s always important to be open to anything in football, it’s a very good thing to change your opinion and admit you were wrong. I’m happy to do that, but not just after three games, but over time. Emotions and overreactions are something we all do, and I think being able to take a step back and look at things with a more dispassionate perspective and admit when we’re wrong is a real gift and an important thing to do. But I haven’t reached Pochettino yet.
But as I always say, I’m not here to tell any of you what to think or how to support your favorite club. I respect all opinions, even if it surprises me how quickly my mood changes.
I also understand that it’s not as simple as porch in or porch out. I’ve been reading the comments this week and there are a lot of different elements involved. Many people are still unconvinced about Pochettino and do not think he is the right person for the job. But the simple fact that there is no better replacement available right now is the reason to bring in Pochettino. These are the factors that support these opinion polls and the change in people’s positions.
David Ornstein The report, which basically rules out a number of potential replacements such as Ruben Amorim, has led many to accept that it is better to stick with Pochettino due to the lack of better options.
If it was between sticking with Pochettino or hiring Roberto De Zerbi, 90% said they would stick with Poch. I completely agree with that!
Many of you are divided and generally unsure. I completely understand that. The players overall seem to really like him. He has built a good inclusive morale in the camp, the players are definitely turning up for him now and his last three performances have boded really well.
If we look at this over the long term I’m completely open to Pochettino next season, but there’s still a long way to go there. We need to see consistency. There have been instances like this where we played very well for two or three games and then folded in the next game. We’ve seen it take one step forward and two steps back too often this season to be ready to accept that we’ve finally turned that corner.
But I actually understand and see it. Thanks to the lack of options and the relationships he has built with this group of players, I understand the flip-flop, even if it surprises me. But we won’t be changing our stance anytime soon. We need to continue to see these improvements. So please respect that as I respect yours 🙂
But I wonder if we’ll see another huge change in stance once again if they lose the next two games, for example.
My final thoughts are that whatever the fans think of Pochettino, especially in my Substack community, it will have a huge impact on what the club decides to do with him this summer. Fans’ opinions are very important to the owners. Although it is not the final deciding factor, it is taken into consideration.
